When it comes to the human orgasm, research often focuses on the evolutionary field of this intense feeling of sexual pleasure. Now, a new study by scientists at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University in Evanston (USA) has delved into a relatively under-studied area of human climax: how orgasms affect the brain.
During orgasm, we may experience an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, rapid breathing, and rhythmic muscle contractions. But what are the underlying mechanisms of this sexual response, its neurophysiological effects?
The researchers analyzed a large number of studies and literature on the brain and the body’s response to sexual stimulation. This information was used to create a model that shed light on how rhythmic sexual activity affects rhythmic activity in the brain.
According to the authors, rhythmic sexual stimulation, if it is intense enough and if it lasts long enough, can increase neural oscillations in the correlation frequencies, a process called “neuronal entrainment”, responsible for the “sexual trance” , where the only focus is the immediate sensation experienced.
“ The idea that sexual experiences can be like trance states is somewhat old. It turns out that this idea is supported by modern understandings of neuroscience. In theory, this could change the way people view their sexuality. Sex is a source of pleasant sensations and emotional connection, but beyond that, it is actually an altered state of consciousness, ”explains Adam Safron, leader of the work.
According to the expert, the way the brain reacts to rhythmic sexual stimulation is comparable to the way it responds to rhythmic music and dancing or dancing . “This document provides a level of mechanistic detail that was previously lacking,” says Safron.
The study has been published in the journal Socioaffective Neuroscience and Psychology.
